Scraper plane



Aug. 28, 1962 J. A. WHITE, JR 3,050,883

SCRAPER PLANE Filed Feb. 27, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John ,4. Wbiie, J

BY 40W 40 ATTORNEYS SCRAPER PLANE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 Aug. 28, 1962 J. A. WHITE, JR

SCRAPER PLANE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 Aug. 28, 1962 J. A. WHITE, JR

SCRAPER PLANE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 3,950,883 STRAPER PLANE John A. White, .122, Gilroy, Calif., assignor to Be-Ge Man= ufacturing Co., Gilroy, Caliti, a corporation of California Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,975 6 Claims. (Cl. 37-153) This invention relates to land levelers of the elongated finish type, such as is shown-for instancein United States Patent No. 2,464,227; the structure of the present invention particularly representing improvements over what is shown in said patent.

As in the patent in question, the leveler includes a ground-supported frame, and an elongated tail-boom ground-supported at its rear end, rearwardly of said frame, and pivoted at its forward end on said frame for swinging movement in a vertical plane; the leveling blade unit being suspended from the tail-boom for leveling action as such tail-boom follows the undulations of the ground being leveled.

Means is provided to raise and lower the unit so as to clear the blade from the ground independently of the tail-boom movement, and the major object of this invention is to arrange such raising and lowering means so that it may also function to raise and lower the tail-boom at its rear end from the ground once the blade unit has been fully raised, and without having to disconnect said means from the blade unit.

In this manner, the wheel base of the leveler is practically cut in half, as is necessary for highway transportation, without employing the relatively expensive structure involved in the telescoping arrangement shown in the aforementioned patent, and without any initial maneuvering of the leveler being required to efiect the raising of the tail-boom. Also, but little physical work is required in the operations, and such work may be performed in a few seconds time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a leveler arranged so that an extremely accurate and sensitive leveling action is obtained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a practical, reliable, and durable scraper plane, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the leveler in its operative position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the leveler.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the leveler with the tailboom raised.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevation, partly broken out and in section, showing the leveling blade unit in its normal operative position; the raised position of the unit being shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 5 is a similar view, but showing the tail-boom raised relative to the main frame.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross section on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a rear end elevation of the leveler, but with the rear section of the tail-boom removed.

biases i tent Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and v 2 being of the same general construction and arrangement of parts as shown in said US. Patent No. 2,464,227.

The frame 1 includes transversely spaced side beams 4 and a transverse rear-end structure rigid with said beams and which includes an axle 5 for the rear wheels 2, uprights 6 depending from the ends of beams 4 to said axle, and a pair of higher uprights 7 projecting upwardly from axle 5 in transversely spaced relation between the uprights 6.

A rigid tail-boom 8 overlies the main frame 1 and extends from the forward end thereof to a rear end termination a distance back from said frame substantially equal to the length of such frame.

The tail-boom at its forward end is transversely pivoted,

as at 9, between ears 1% rigid with and upstanding from frame 1. At its rear end the tail-boom is rigid with a cross beam 11 from which transversely spaced ground engaging caster wheels 12 depend.

The tail-boom passes between uprights 7 in guided relation; the side walls of said tail-boom, which is of boxbeam form in section, being provided with wear strips 13 in the zone of said uprights. For the purpose of ease of manufacturing and shipping particularly, the tail-boom is made in front and rear sections A and B, respectively, as shown, the sections at their adjacent ends being provided with enlarged transverse plates 14 and 15, respectively, which are rigidly but detachably bolted together. This point of connection between the sections is preferably adjacent and to the rear of, uprights 7, as shown.

The leveling blade unit 16 of the leveler is disposed under frame beams 4 immediately ahead of wheels 2. This unit, which is of generally conventional form and somewhat wider than the span between said wheels 2, includes the scraping or leveling blade 17, a front cross beam 18, and a rear top cross beam 19; all extending between and connected to the sidewalls 20 of the unit. Ears 21 project forwardly from the cross beam 18 and are pivoted, as at 22, on and between ears 23 mounted on the ends of a cross beam 24 rigid with the frame 1 below side beams 4.

Centrally of the width of unit 16, ears 25 project rearwardly from cross beam 19, which support the pivot 26 of the lower link 27 of an upstanding toggle link unit 28. This link unit projects into the hollow interior of the front section A of the tail boom 8 through an opening 29 in the bottom wall 30 thereof; the upper link '31 of unit 28 being entirely within the tail-boom and being pivoted at its upper end, as at 32, between ears 33 rigid with and depending from the upper wall 34 of the tail-boom section A.- The toggle linkage is arranged so as to be fully extended when the tail-boom wheels 12 are in engagement with the ground and the blade 17 is in its lowest position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

A substantially horizontal hydraulic ram 35 extends between and is pivotally connected to the link 31 intermediate its ends and to the end plate 14 of the tail-boom section A; the ram being contracted when the toggle linkage is extended. When the ram is extended, the upper pivot 32 being incapable of downward movement, the resulting collapsing or folding movement of the toggle link unit causes the leveling blade 16 to be swung upwardly above pivot 22 as an axis so that the blade 17 will be raised well clear of the ground, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 4.

The unit 16 may then be positively held against downward movement, irrespective of the ram, by means of pairs of transversely spaced suspension links 36 mounted on and depending from the side beams 4 of frame 1 and provided, adjacent their lower ends, with pin or bolt holes '37 therethrough. Theblade unit 16 is provided with longitudinal brace ribs or bars 38 which extend between the front and rear cross beams 18 and 19 of unit 16 in transverse positions to be straddled by the pairs of links 36 when the A unit 16 is swung up to its limit of upward movement. The link holes 37 then register with slots 39 in bars 38, and pins 40 are then inserted through such holes and slots so that the unit 16 at its rear end is held suspended from frame 1 by the links 36. i l.

If the ram 35 is then contracted and the toggle link unit 28 is extended, the lower link pivot 26-being then held against downward movement-causes the upper link pivot 32 to be raised, as shown in FIG. 5. This of course causes the entire tail-boom 8 to be swung up about its front-end pivot so that the wheels 12 are raised well clear of the ground,-as shown in FIG. 3.

If it is intended'that the tail boom shall remain raised for any length of time without having to retain the pressure in the ram, a rod 41 is projected through aline'd holes 42 in the guide uprights 7, and which holes are exposed below the tail-boom when the-latter is raised. The weight of the tail-boom may then be taken by the pin when the ram is relieved of pressure. The rod 41,.when not in use, may be kept in a sleeve 43 mounted on frame 1 (see FIG. 7). When it is desired to lower the tail-boom to a ground engaging position of the caster wheels 12, the rod '41 is first withdrawn from under the tail-boom, and theram 35 isthen extended to contract the toggle link unit 28 so 7 as to lower the tail-boom. The holding pins 40 of the leveling unit 16 are then withdrawn so as to free said unit, and the ram 35 is contracted to extend or straighten out the toggle link unit 28 and cause the unit 16 to be lowere to the desired operating level. a

Due to the great length of the tail-boom relative to that of the supporting frame 1, a very'sensi-tive scraping and leveling action is obtained at the blade 17, as will be evident.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

l. A leveler comprising an elongated wheel-supported frame, a transverse leveling blade unit pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the rear end thereof for upward swinging movement, a tail-boom overlying the frameand extending rearwardly therefrom a material distance and having ground engaging elements on its rear .end, means pivoting the tail-boom at its forward end on the frame ahead of the blade :unit, a suspension device connecting the tail-boom and blade unit, power means mounted on the tail-boom and connected to the blade unit'to raise the latter to a predetermined position relative to theframe and to then swing the tail-boom upwardly about the pivot means to raise said elements from the ground, and means between the blade unit and frame to releasably hold the blade unit against downward movement from said predetermined position. 7

.2. A leveler, as in claim 1, with uprights provided with the frame at its rear end and between which the tail-boom r 4 projects in guided relation, a rod to extend transversely between the uprights and under the tail-boom when the latter is in an upwardly swung'position, and means on the uprights -to releasably support the rod.

3. A leveler comprising an elongated wheel-supported frame, a transverse leveling blade unit pivotally mounted at its forward end on the frame adjacent the rear .end thereof for upward swinging movement, a tail-boom ex tending rearwardly from the frame and having, ground engaging elements on its rear. end, means pivoting the tailboom at its forward end on the frame at a point ahead of the leveling unit, a toggle link unit connecting the leveling unit adjacent its rear end and the tail-boom above, said link unit being substantially vertical and extended when the leveling unit and'tail-boom are in an operative position, mean's'to alternately contract and extend the toggle link unit, the initial contraction of said link unit swinging the leveling unit upwardlyabout its pivot means,

and means separate from the link-unit contracting means thereof foraupward swinging movement, a tail-boom extending rearwardly from the frame and having ground engaging elements on its rear end, means pivoting the tail-boom at its forward end on the frame at a point ahead of the leveling unit, power means to swing theleveling unit upwardly relative to the tail-boom and to then swing the tail-boom upwardly about its pivot contingent upon the leveling unit being then held in such upwardly swung position, and means to so hold the'leveler;unit.

5. A leveler comprising an elongated wheel-supported frame, a transverse leveling blade unit pivotally mounted at its forward end on the frame adjacent the rear end thereof for upward swinging movement, a tail-boom extending rearwardly from the frame and having ground engaging elements on its rear end, means pivoting the tail-boom at its forward end on the frame at a point ahead of the leveling unit, a hydraulic two-way ram, connecting means between the ram, the leveling unit and the tail-boom arranged so that upon actuation of the ram in one direction to cause the leveling unit to be swung upwardly, and upon subsequent actuation of the ram'in the opposite direction to cause the tail-boom to be swung upwardly about its pivot means contingent upon the leveling unit being then held in such upwardly swung position, and means to so hold the leveler unit.

6 A leveler, as in claim 1; the tail-boom comprising longitudinally alined separate and separable sections normally rigidly connected together, the transverse plane of separation lbeing adjacent the rear end of the frame and rearwardly of said releasable means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS I Clark July 13, 1948 

